In the summer of 2024, Russian social media was flooded with advertisements promoting egg donation in China. Healthy, attractive young women taller than 162 cm were promised several thousand dollars for their biological material. In addition to the payment, donors were offered free flights to another country, accommodation in luxurious hotels, and gourmet meals. However, there was one catch — commercial egg donation is illegal in China. People of Baikal (Ludi Baikala) investigated the workings of the underground market selling Russian eggs. A translated and edited version is republished on Global Voices with permission.
The interview
Anna, a 22-year-old Moscow resident (name changed at her request), prepared for her interview with the family of potential buyers as instructed by her agent. She applied minimal makeup, as Chinese people prefer natural beauty. She let her long, dark hair fall over her shoulders, tucking it behind her ears to create the appearance of prominent ears — a feature considered attractive in China. The interview was conducted via video call with a translator. However, only Anna’s camera was turned on, so the buyers could see her, but she could not see them.
The interview began with standard questions: height, weight, blood type, and family background. This was Anna’s sixth such interview, so she knew how to behave: always smile, tell the truth when answers can be easily verified, and embellish where necessary. For example, she added five years to her grandmother’s age because Chinese clients value donors with long-living relatives. Anna was asked to walk in front of the camera, stand in a doorway to show her physique and height, and display her teeth.
This time, the couple asked Anna several unexpected questions. What grades did she get in math at school? Did she enjoy her work?
Two days later, the agent told Anna that she had been chosen for donation, meaning she would be flying to China within a week.
Anna’s story begins
In April 2024, Anna, a part-time student and designer, came across an Instagram video. The video resembled a travel advertisement, with scenes of sightseeing and dining. The girl also showed off US dollar bills, claiming donors could make between USD 3,000 and 7,000. The video was posted by an agency recruiting women for egg donation abroad, primarily in China. It stated that candidates must be between 18 and 30 years old, neither too thin nor too fat, and free of bad habits and hereditary diseases.
Anna was intrigued by the opportunity to earn money and visit Asia for free. Moreover, she had already donated eggs six times in Russia without complications, earning up to RUB 100,000 (USD 1,300) per procedure. However, there was one major obstacle: while egg donation for money is legal in Russia, it is prohibited in China.
Anna spent a month deliberating whether to take the risk and apply. In May, she decided to apply to the agency. Anna quickly received a response from a manager asking her to send photos. She was then asked to fill out a questionnaire about her age, height, weight, education, blood type, the dates of her upcoming menstrual cycle, and a brief biography.
The Chinese family was found by an agent she had met through the donor chat.
The process unfolds quickly
Egg donors must undergo a course of hormonal stimulation. This treatment aims to retrieve more eggs than during a regular ovulation cycle. The hormonal stimulation begins on the second day of the donor’s menstrual cycle and is performed in China. Clients are unwilling to wait, so Anna’s visa was expedited, and tickets were booked within four days. She also underwent various tests.
The underground market for Russian eggs
In July 2024, the RTVI Telegram channel noticed a surge in identical Instagram videos advertising egg donation in China.
People of Baikal identified at least 18 Instagram accounts advertising egg donation in China. These accounts showcased images of cash bundles, new iPhones, and MacBooks purchased with the earnings. They also framed donation as a way to “help childless couples who have lost hope of conceiving naturally.” Women from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan were targeted as potential donors.
Many agency employees have no medical background. For example, one video from the account “Da Donation” features a manager who worked as an eyelash extension specialist from 2018 to 2020, according to her Instagram activity. On the website of “Sunshine Egg Donation Agency,” the listed IVF medical expert is a business coach with a degree from the Volgograd branch of the Soviet Trade Institute. The coordinator for prospective parents previously worked as an astrologer. None of these representatives responded to requests for interviews.
Who chooses ‘Slavic eggs?’
The cost of egg donation depends on various factors. Women can set their price, but agents usually help them assess their value based on market conditions and their personal attributes.
First and foremost, clients prioritize physical appearance — height, weight, fair skin, and blemish-free complexion. Chinese clients generally dislike birthmarks, freckles, and red hair. Tattoos, false eyelashes, and fillers also reduce the likelihood of being chosen. Fashion trends for donor appearance evolve; currently, “cuteness” and “femininity” are in demand. Agencies encourage women to send photos wearing dresses and smiling.
Higher payments are offered to donors with prestigious university degrees, foreign language skills, or artistic talents, as clients hope their children will inherit these traits.
It’s not the just the women who make money: according to Anna, her agent earned USD 2,000 for every donor who completed a program.
Why is China’s underground egg market growing
In 2020, the Chinese newspaper The Paper reported that university students were alarmed by ads for egg donation plastered on the walls of women’s restrooms. A reporter posed as a prospective donor and contacted the agency listed in the ad. They explained that “egg girls” or “egg sisters” were categorized by quality. Women from top universities could earn up to CNY 40,000 (USD 5,500), while donors with average looks and no higher education received CNY 10,000–20,000 (USD 1,400–2,800).
Contracts are not signed with donors because buying and selling eggs is illegal in China. However, the business persists, despite authorities’ efforts to remove advertisements. This is because legal egg procurement for IVF is almost impossible in the country.
According to a 2003 circular from the Chinese Ministry of Health, only leftover eggs from IVF patients may be used, and only by married women with documented infertility. This has created long waiting lists, forcing many families to turn to underground agencies. By 2021, there were more than 400 clandestine agencies in China, according to Chinese media outlet CCTV.
Egg retrieval and a health scare
Anna’s program took place in Chongqing, a city of 32 million people in southwestern China. She stayed in a hotel room with panoramic windows on the 18th floor. A young Chinese assistant hired by her agent drove her to all appointments, communicating through a translator app.
When Anna’s period began, she visited a clinic for a series of tests. Afterward, a nurse visited her hotel daily at 4 p.m. to administer hormonal injections. The program restricted alcohol, smoking, exercise, and sex, but Anna was otherwise free.
The hormonal stimulation lasted 10 days. On the day of the egg retrieval, Anna’s assistant took her to a residential area instead of a clinic. Her phone and documents were taken, and a sticker with Chinese characters was placed on her arm. Alongside four Chinese women, Anna entered a tinted white van. Unable to see outside, she felt anxious.
“I started to panic a bit, thinking they were going to sell my organs. But seeing the local women chatting and laughing calmed me down. I figured if they were coming too, everything would be okay,” she said.
The van stopped directly at a building entrance, leading to a staircase. At the top, Anna found an operating room and recovery wards. “It was some kind of makeshift clinic — definitely underground. That scared me because the checkups were in good hospitals. I assumed the retrieval would happen there,” she said.
Under anesthesia, Anna’s eggs were retrieved using a needle guided by ultrasound. She woke up half an hour later and was taken back to meet her agent. Her belongings were returned, and she was given IV fluids at a legitimate hospital. However, severe abdominal pain struck later that night.
Back to the hospital
“I couldn’t move — I just lay there in excruciating pain. My abdomen was swollen, and I could barely breathe. It was the worst night of my life. In Moscow, I would be back to normal immediately after the procedure. I’d never experienced anything like this,” Anna recalled.
The next morning, she was taken to a hospital, where she vomited while her blood pressure was being checked. After another round of IV fluids, her symptoms began to subside, and by evening, she felt better.
Four days after the procedure, Anna flew back to Moscow. Despite not signing any contracts with the agency, she received her promised USD 7,000 in cash upon returning.
A Chinese doctor suggested that Anna’s severe symptoms might have been a reaction to anesthesia, but Anna suspected ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
Even minimally invasive procedures like egg retrieval carry risks. “There can be allergic reactions, post-retrieval bleeding, or ovarian hyperstimulation. Can a donor be absolutely sure she will receive proper emergency care? And who will take responsibility for complications if the donor returns to her home country? She ends up alone with her problems,” said reproductive specialist Nadezhda Veryaeva.
Anna discussed her condition with her agent, who said mild forms of OHSS are common in China, possibly because doctors use higher doses of medications to ensure results. People of Baikal found no reports of Russian donors suffering severe complications in China. However, there are documented cases involving Chinese donors. For instance, in 2017, a high school girl nearly died after selling 21 eggs on the black market. In 2019, a university student was hospitalized with severe OHSS after attempting to use the money to buy a new iPhone.
Competition among donors
Recently, competition among donors has intensified, driving down prices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when international travel was restricted, agencies paid top dollar for donors from Russia. But with China reopening its borders in 2023, the influx of new candidates has caused a drop in fees.
There also exist donor agencies in Cambodia, Laos, Cyprus, and Georgia, the latter becoming a hotspot for surrogacy tourism after it was banned for foreigners in Russia. Most clients in these countries are also Chinese. The market is expanding into Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, where surrogacy and egg donation are legal.
In spite of her previous unpleasant experience, Anna went to China again. This time, she was promised USD 8000 — a sum she would never receive in Russia — so, even with the risks, Anna decided she would do it again.
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Previously Published on globalvoices.org with Creative Commons License
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The post There Is an Undergound Market for Surrogacy Eggs from Russian Women in China appeared first on The Good Men Project.